The real stories from inside the F1 paddock

Here’s the new Force India F1 car

The Force India team has unveiled its latest offering at Silverstone. This is the work of a team of engineers led by technical director Andrew Green. The team says that much work has been done on the aerodynamics and on the suspension design and reckon that the car is an improvement of the 2012 car, which led the Brazilian GP at the end of the season.

The team seems to have the same sponsors as previously, despite the troubles that have affected some of the companies involved. The team has been sponsored by Kingfisher Premium beer for several seasons, rather than by the original sponsor Kingfisher Airlines, but team owner Vijay Mallya continues to have problems with the airline, which is still grounded. The various spirit companies featured on the car belong to UB Spirits, another Mallya company, but this is in the process of being taken over by British firm Diageo. There is also large scale signage for Sahara (as last year), although its owner Roy Sahara remains in a very public dispute with the Supreme Court of India, which has required him to pay billions back to investors.

All this aside, the team seems to be doing a decent job although (naturally) there is some disquiet about budgets and questions about why no second driver has been nominated to replace Nico Hulkenberg. The word is that the drive will go to Jules Bianchi, although he was not at the Force India and was believed to be at the Ferrari launch in Italy.

The new VJM06 car will be powered by Mercedes engines and the team continues to receive considerable technological help from McLaren, including the drivetrain and use of the McLaren simulators in Woking. This will continue as long the money continues to flow in.

VJ want’s Ferrari to pay his team more money including free factory Ferrari engines from 2014 in order to run Bianchi.

Ferrari rate Bianchi so highly yet they refuse to run him themselves even while they continue to retain an under performimg driver like Massa. It show’s you how highly they really rate Bianchi, they want him to drive somebody else’s car not their own.

You didn’t see McLaren shove Lewis Hamilton into another team in order for him to make his F1 debut, no they put their money where their mouth is, believed in him and ran him themselves from word go.

The TW Steel deal is not a lot if money. It moves around looking for the cheapest deal in my opinion. If you think that will make a significant contribution to FI budge you are dreaming. I don’t report on every small sponsor of every team.